The Pick n Pay school club programme hosted 12 Gqeberha girl rugby players at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to get front-row experience of the women’s international match on Saturday.
The girls selected for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came from the Gelvan Rugby Academy and Chatty, Westville and Linkside high schools.
And while the women’s SA team failed to clinch victory against Canada, going down 35-5, it did not detract from the experience.
The school club programme is an educational initiative in SA which provides free, curriculum-aligned resources to primary and high schools and aims to enrich the lives of pupils by offering educational materials, recognition programmes and memorable experiences.
Eastern Cape Pick n Pay school club representative Shimondelay Blaauw said the growth in female participation in rugby remained slow and the programme ensured that girls were represented.
“Through the Pick n Pay school club, 12 aspiring girl rugby players were identified from under-represented communities in Gqeberha to attend their first live rugby game at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium,” Blaauw said .
“We wanted to expose girls from different communities to what could be their future if they work hard.
“All the selected girls have very good stories as to why they were selected and deserve to be here.
“They are all talented and have a bright future.”
Linkside High School grade 12 pupil and rugby player Siyolise Mali said she aspired to play for SA one day.
“I am so happy to be here today,” she said.
“I couldn’t even sleep [on Friday night] because of the excitement.
“This is such a big opportunity to see my favourite players do their thing live and right before my eyes.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I hope to be like them one day.”
Siyolise said she also wanted to get advice from the players on how they had achieved what they had and tips on how to improve her game.
“I started playing rugby in 2022, but stopped because my parents said it’s not really a girl’s sport, so I played first-team hockey for three years.
“I returned to rugby this year.
“I participated in the Eastern Province trials and made it through to the last round and I was very proud I got that far as someone who had never played a match before.”
Gelvandale Rugby Academy founder Enrico Grootboom said the girls were among the most talented to come out of the northern areas.
“Many of the girls I train, including those who are here today, have never been inside the stadium before,” he said.
“I started the academy to create opportunities for children from the northern areas.
“Now some of them get bursaries and opportunities to travel overseas because of this sport.”
Grootboom said the northern areas were associated with crime, yet there were many positives and rugby was one of them.
“These are talented young girls and some of them are Eastern Province players.
“I train girls from as young as 13 so that by the time they play U16 they are already developed and understand the basics of rugby.
“I believe these girls will be watched like this in the future.
“They only require the opportunity to be inspired and watch the women’s side play.”
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.